Chapter 62: Hikigaya-kun, You'll Have to Help Me More in the Future
"Hikigaya, I never thought a good student like you would open the back door for someone else."
Sitting in her office, Hiratsuka Shizuka subconsciously took out a cigarette, wanting to enjoy a nice smoke, but considering she was in front of a student, she ultimately didn't light it. Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at Hikigaya Hachiman with a teasing gaze. She had always thought this student, cold as a machine, was heartless.
The development of events completely exceeded her expectations only after she impulsively took on the role of advisor for the new club established by the younger sister of her former student.
To be honest, Hiratsuka Shizuka knew the Student Council would never have approved the "Service Club".
This was because of the presence of Hikigaya Hachiman, the person who firmly controlled the bottom line of the rules. After all, Yukinoshita's club only had one student, and even the activity guide was written very vaguely. Given Hikigaya Hachiman's personality, "rejection" would have been the correct answer, right?
But such an unregulated club was actually approved by Hikigaya Hachiman, and with a full green light???
Even the school's club advisor permission slip had come through, now resting on Hiratsuka Shizuka's desk.
"Hikigaya-kun, if I didn't know your character, I'd suspect you fell in love with Yukinoshita-san at first sight."
Hikigaya Hachiman naturally knew what Hiratsuka Shizuka was talking about, so he merely said, "That's an exaggeration, Hiratsuka-sensei.
Perhaps I gave it a full green light out of respect for you."
Even though Hiratsuka Shizuka's tone was stern, Hikigaya Hachiman didn't take it seriously at all. This teacher harbored no ill will towards students; she treated even the most troublesome students equally and often took the initiative to solve their problems.
She was a very good teacher, which is why students generally referred to her as "Shizu-kawaii" (Cute Shizu). However, this kind of nickname was only possible at Shuchiin. After all, compared to the family backgrounds of these students, the teachers were more like the disadvantaged group.
This "Shizu-kawaii," beloved by students, was the person even those initially arrogant students, who were ultimately expelled by Hikigaya Hachiman, ended up relying on. Unfortunately, by then, Hikigaya Hachiman had already given them their chance. Even if they sought out the teacher, it was impossible to reverse the outcome.
"That's truly an honor, to be told that by Hikigaya-kun," Hiratsuka Shizuka smiled.
"Well, since it was for me, were the loose ends tidied up?
Otherwise, if the school administration investigates, I imagine even you would find it troublesome, wouldn't you?"
"How could that be? Everything is compliant." Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head.
"Besides, investigating... the school shouldn't be that idle."
To be honest, a private club like Momo Ryuju's "Astronomy Club" would be the first to be audited. A club with only one person occupying the school's rooftop is unreasonable, no matter how you look at it.
"That's the composure of a Super VIP."
"Mhm." Hikigaya Hachiman nodded.
In fact, Shuchiin Academy was like a microcosm of society. Before he arrived, the student hierarchy here was shaped like a pyramid: fewer people at the top received most of the benefits and occupied most of the resources.
Therefore, the superiority of money and family background truly allowed one to do as they pleased. This was something Hikigaya Hachiman realized after coming to this school.
And what he had been doing since he arrived was locking all those uncontrollably arrogant individuals into the cage of the system. The former Student Council President never anticipated such an outcome; he simply found the student interesting and offered some support, only to become a "sinner" in the eyes of the entire school at the time.
Consequently, his term saw the highest number of expelled students in Shuchiin's history. He was airtight, his methods were tough, and it was practically a dictatorship.
Therefore, Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at Hikigaya Hachiman with a helpless gaze: "Hikigaya, what do you think of Yukinoshita's club?"
"It's admirable.
People who can help others without expecting anything in return are rare, which makes them especially precious.
I don't dislike it, so I want to see how far she can stick to her ideals. Besides, it's just an investment in a club."
"An investment in a club, you say."
"Hikigaya, you're in the Student Council, so you should know even better that the school's current requirement for clubs is budget reduction."
One extra club means one extra necessary expense. The school's annual funding for clubs is limited. Now they have to tighten their belts, but there's one more person to feed. Doesn't this mean harming the interests of the original clubs?
"Those problem children can be quite troublesome."
The "problem children" referred to the Super VIP members of the Shuchiin Club Association, who guarded their club budgets as if they were their lifeblood. Hikigaya Hachiman merely chuckled and said to Hiratsuka Shizuka: "Them?
Who do you think I am?"
Since the current Student Council has no treasurer, Hikigaya Hachiman not only serves as the Executive Committee Chairman but also concurrently handles the treasurer's duties. Club budget reviews are all conducted by Hikigaya Hachiman. In short, he can give money to whomever he wants. If they complain, Hikigaya Hachiman can even cut their club's funding to a terrifying degree.
"Therefore, Hiratsuka-sensei, I have high hopes for Yukinoshita's Service Club.
Since you're the club advisor, please take responsibility."
But Hikigaya Hachiman knew that everything he said to Hiratsuka Shizuka was just an excuse. The main reason for giving the green light was his own willingness. If he personally wasn't willing, no matter how many people tried to persuade him, it would be useless.
Furthermore, these nice words weren't just for Hiratsuka-sensei. Even without seeing the faintly visible figure in the distant conference room, Hikigaya Hachiman's strong perception ability had long sensed another heartbeat besides his and Hiratsuka-sensei's.
When he was saying those nice words just now, the "eavesdropper's" heart rate clearly sped up slightly.
"Did you hear that, Yukinoshita?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka, this teacher really could do the unexpected. Stepping out from one of the small conference rooms inside was the reserved Yukinoshita Yukino. She had clearly been in Hiratsuka Shizuka's office even before Hikigaya Hachiman walked in.
"He has high expectations for you, you know."
"Hiratsuka-sensei, actually, I already trusted him very much."
Yukinoshita Yukino, grabbing her own arm, apologized to Hikigaya Hachiman. "I'm sorry, Hikigaya-kun, eavesdropping was not my intention."
"WHAT?"
Finally, it was Hiratsuka Shizuka's turn to be surprised.
'Wait, I specifically called Hikigaya Hachiman over to ask him. Who did you think I was doing this for? How did Yukinoshita surrender in just a few words? Is this still the difficult child Haruno described over the phone? She should be resistant, full of thorns, and shouldn't trust others so easily. Or did they already know each other?'
"Hiratsuka-sensei, locking a student in a conference room is against the Student Protection Act."
This simple statement from Hikigaya Hachiman made Hiratsuka Shizuka 'Tsk.'
Hiratsuka Shizuka scratched her hair and complained, "Kids these days are such a pain."
Hiratsuka Shizuka took a key from the open drawer and tossed it directly to Yukinoshita Yukino. "Here's the club key."
Yukinoshita Yukino caught the key.
"Club building, 3rd floor, the second room counting from the stairs is your activity room."
After saying that to Yukinoshita Yukino, Hiratsuka Shizuka unexpectedly pulled a piece of paper from her desk and said with a smile, "And Hikigaya, if you want to witness it, why not experience it firsthand?"
Hikigaya Hachiman could clearly see that the paper Hiratsuka Shizuka held was a club application form.
"So you were waiting for me here." Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head.
"What a cunning teacher."
Hikigaya Hachiman had just spoken so many grand principles. If he didn't even sign the form now, wouldn't it prove that everything he said earlier was just empty, pleasant talk?
"Thanks for the compliment. I've been a teacher for you brats for many years, after all."
Hiratsuka Shizuka gave a mischievous smile and repeated, "Since you want to witness it, why not become a participant?"
"Wait, Hiratsuka-sensei."
Yukinoshita Yukino hadn't expected Hiratsuka-sensei to present a club application form to Hikigaya-kun at this moment; it was beyond her expectation. She was already immensely grateful for Hikigaya Hachiman's help.
But to have Hikigaya-kun serve as her club member as well, that would truly be...
However, Hikigaya Hachiman had already agreed, so Yukinoshita Yukino could only give up.
As she walked out of the office, Yukinoshita Yukino, adhering to her principles of correctness, felt extremely bad that Hiratsuka Shizuka had essentially forced Hikigaya-kun to join.
"I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble again, Hikigaya-kun.
As for Hiratsuka-sensei, I didn't know she would do that."
Although Yukinoshita Yukino had gained a club member besides herself, she wasn't happy at all. She hadn't realized that her simple desire to establish a club, born from a whim, required Hikigaya-kun to handle so much clean-up work behind the scenes. This instantly made her feel very guilty. Establishing a club at this school was far more troublesome than she had imagined.
"Hikigaya-kun, if it's too much trouble, you can quit."
Yukinoshita Yukino strongly disliked having others bear the cost of her actions.
"It's fine, Yukinoshita." Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head. "Class is starting soon. Let's go back."
At noon, Hikigaya Hachiman had originally arranged to go with Yukinoshita Yukino to the Club Association to "pay respects."
But as Yukinoshita Yukino watched the people from the list her sister gave her appear one by one, she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of emotion. The Karate club president was the son of the Chief of Staff of the military, and the one wearing glasses was the son of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Commissioner.
"Seriously? That Great Demon King joined a club? And a newly established one at that?" Kendo Club President Kojima couldn't help but mutter. "That's unbelievable."
To be honest, these problem children were more curious than Yukinoshita Yukino: Who was Yukinoshita Yukino? What kind of person would receive such preferential treatment from that Great Demon King?
Hikigaya Hachiman merely summoned a portion of the Super VIP members, who were sufficient to represent the Club Association. But what surprised Yukinoshita Yukino the most was that in the originally noisy Club Association, Hikigaya Hachiman walked in and, instead, took charge like a boss, controlling the entire room.
The moment these problem children saw Hikigaya Hachiman arrive, most of them immediately chose to shut their mouths, like mice seeing a cat.
"Right, everyone. I don't want to cause too much trouble, so it's best to keep a low profile."
Hikigaya Hachiman meant that he didn't want his joining the Service Club to cause too much disruption among the external student body. Keep a low profile and don't draw too much attention.
"Hachiman, you really gave us quite a surprising surprise."
A black-haired girl dressed like a shrine maiden was Atenbo Yume, the granddaughter of the "Shrine Headquarters," a religious corporation accredited by the Sorcerer Association, holding the Net-Rank One title.
"How annoying, calling us together for such a small matter."
The person speaking loudly and with clear displeasure was Momo Ryuju, a straightforward but fundamentally kind-hearted yakuza boss's daughter.
"It's just signing a paper anyway, right?"
Unexpectedly, Momo Ryuju , who complained the most, was the first to speak up and agree, asking for a signing pen to write down the approval for the "Service Club" to join the Club Association.
"I'm leaving." After signing, Momo Ryuju left.
"Indeed." Smiling, Atenbo Yume said directly, "I have no objections."
"Yukinoshita-san, welcome to the Club Association."
Contrary to the difficulty she might have expected, Yukinoshita Yukino received a considerable amount of goodwill. However, Yukinoshita Yukino also knew that her influence couldn't be that great; it meant that all those sons and daughters of power were completely submissive to Hikigaya-kun. Just as he had said, everything was merely a formality.
"Hikigaya-kun, Yukinoshita-san, would you like to come and sit in my Occult Club?" Atenbo Yume invited with a smile. "I can give both of you a free fortune-telling.
Come on, come on, there's no harm in getting a reading."
Yukinoshita Yukino, somewhat unable to resist the enthusiasm, nearly agreed, but Hikigaya Hachiman spoke up directly.
"Sorry, Atenbo-senpai.
We have other things to do later."
"That's a shame, then next time." After speaking, Atenbo Yume left with a regretful look. "Hachiman, Yukinoshita-san, the doors of my Occult Club are always open for you."
"Hikigaya-kun, does Shuchiin also have an Occult Club?" Yukinoshita Yukino thought a school like Shuchiin would be very traditional; how could it have an Occult Research Club?
"Mhm." That was a religious group acknowledged by the Sorcerer Association, so the granddaughter could naturally and openly carry out proselytizing activities.
Hikigaya Hachiman also told Yukinoshita Yukino the reason for refusing Atenbo Yume. "By the way, that Atenbo Yume girl loves to tell fortunes about marriage/romance."
Atenbo Yume's good-girl appearance is too misleading; she's the type who can speak words that verge on sexual harassment with a straight face. She loves to tell fortunes for innocent young couples, just to see their embarrassed and ashamed reactions.
"So, if you don't want to be teased too badly, Yukinoshita, it's better to keep your distance from her."
"Marriage/Romance!"
Yukinoshita Yukino's small mouth was slightly agape. No wonder that senpai was so enthusiastic just now. So, if she had agreed, wouldn't it have been a reading of her and Hikigaya-kun's romance fortune!
"What is this school?"
A slight pink color involuntarily appeared on Yukinoshita Yukino's face.
There are people like this? So, Atenbo-senpai misunderstood her as Hikigaya-kun's girlfriend? Did Atenbo-senpai alone think so, or did all the Super VIPs of the Club Association think so?
At the thought of this, Yukinoshita Yukino shivered. The hand gripping her own shoulder was trembling.
"Yukinoshita?"
"Yes!"
In her nervousness, Yukinoshita Yukino even used formal/respectful language.
Hikigaya Hachiman said, "Let's go, let's go check out the club room."
Although he was slightly tricked/coerced by Hiratsuka-sensei, Hikigaya Hachiman accepted it. He supposed it was a happy accident.
When Yukinoshita Yukino and Hikigaya Hachiman arrived at the so-called activity room, it was just an ordinary classroom, filled with desks and chairs. It needed a bit of cleaning, but otherwise, there were no major issues.
Hikigaya Hachiman walked in.
"Hikigaya-kun, I can handle the cleaning." Yukinoshita Yukino quickly said.
"I'm a club member too." Hikigaya Hachiman, however, refused.
"Let's do it together."
Hikigaya Hachiman stepped forward and opened the windows outside with Yukinoshita Yukino.
Also, Hikigaya Hachiman seemed to have noticed Yukinoshita Yukino's uneasiness and comforted her: "Yukinoshita, you really don't have to think that I was coerced by sensei into joining.
Hiratsuka-sensei's actions might just be a roundabout way of achieving what I was thinking at the time."
Seeing Yukinoshita Yukino's confused gaze, Hikigaya Hachiman reminded her, "Black tea and snacks."
With this reminder, Yukinoshita Yukino recalled Hikigaya-kun once saying, "It would be great if I could always drink Yukinoshita's black tea." Knowing that Hikigaya-kun said these things to alleviate her guilt, and linking it to the previous romance topic, a faint pink color couldn't help but appear on her fair face.
Hikigaya Hachiman moved a few desks and put them together to serve as a sofa for the activity room.
"Yukinoshita, if you have trouble with anything you can't handle, you absolutely must tell me.
Not just as a fellow member of the Service Club, but also as a neighbor.
Don't forget, a near neighbor is better than a distant relative!"
"Mhm."
Recalling the moments from the past few days, Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes were slightly lost in thought. She had never imagined that she would rely on someone else this much. Moreover, something more greedy was blossoming in her heart.
A gentle breeze swept past, bringing a hint of coolness to the girl's restless heart while calming her mood. In any case, her foundation at Shuchiin was truly set, and this time, unlike her previous study abroad, she was not alone.
"...."
Thinking of Hikigaya-kun, who saved her in her dream, Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't help but yield to the call of her heart. For the first time to anyone, she frankly spoke what was on her mind.
"Hikigaya-kun, you'll... have to help me more in the future."
Looking at the girl by the window with a smile in her eyes, Hikigaya Hachiman's lips also curled up slightly. He nodded, "Mhm."
Along with the distortion of your life.
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